Isaiah 61

The Year of the Lord’s Favor

1The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

because the Lord has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives

and release from darkness for the prisoners,#61:1 Hebrew; Septuagint the blind

2to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,

3and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beauty

instead of ashes,

the oil of joy

instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise

instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the Lord

for the display of his splendor.

4They will rebuild the ancient ruins

and restore the places long devastated;

they will renew the ruined cities

that have been devastated for generations.

5Strangers will shepherd your flocks;

foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.

6And you will be called priests of the Lord,

you will be named ministers of our God.

You will feed on the wealth of nations,

and in their riches you will boast.

7Instead of your shame

you will receive a double portion,

and instead of disgrace

you will rejoice in your inheritance.

And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,

and everlasting joy will be yours.

8“For I, the Lord, love justice;

I hate robbery and wrongdoing.

In my faithfulness I will reward my people

and make an everlasting covenant with them.

9Their descendants will be known among the nations

and their offspring among the peoples.

All who see them will acknowledge

that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”

10I delight greatly in the Lord;

my soul rejoices in my God.

For he has clothed me with garments of salvation

and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,

as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

11For as the soil makes the sprout come up

and a garden causes seeds to grow,

so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness

and praise spring up before all nations.

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Isaiah 61

Exaltation of the Afflicted

1The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

Because the Lord has anointed and commissioned me

To bring good news to the humble and afflicted;

He has sent me to bind up [the wounds of] the brokenhearted,

To proclaim release [from confinement and condemnation] to the [physical and spiritual] captives

And freedom to prisoners, [Rom 10:15]

2To proclaim #61:2 The same as a day of salvation (49:8), and the year of my redeemed (63:4).the favorable year of the Lord,

# 61:2 See note Ezek 34:28. And the day of vengeance and retribution of our God,

To comfort all who mourn, [Matt 11:2-6; Luke 4:18, 19; 7:22]

3To grant to those who mourn in Zion the following:

To give them a #61:3 In the Hebrew there is a kind of wordplay here as “turban” (Heb pe’er) and dust (epher) have the same consonants and similar vowels.turban instead of dust [on their heads, a sign of mourning],

The oil of joy instead of mourning,

The garment [expressive] of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.

So they will be called the trees of righteousness [strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God],

The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

4¶Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,

They will raise up and restore the former desolations;

And they will renew the ruined cities,

The desolations (deserted settlements) of many generations.

5Strangers will stand and feed your flocks,

And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.

6But you shall be called the priests of the Lord;

People will speak of you as the ministers of our God.

You will eat the wealth of nations,

And you will boast of their riches. [Ex 19:6; 1 Pet 2:5; Rev 1:6; 5:10; 20:6]

7Instead of your [former] shame you will have a #61:7 I.e. abundant reward.double portion;

And instead of humiliation your people will shout for joy over their portion.

Therefore in their land they will possess double [what they had forfeited];

Everlasting joy will be theirs.

8For I, the Lord, love justice;

I hate robbery with #61:8 Another reading is wrongdoing or malice, but by itself either would hardly be an improvement. Some prefer to read with as “and,” which requires the assumption of a scribal error that is possible though not found in existing manuscripts. It would also raise the question of why robbery is singled out among other kinds of wrongdoing. In the Talmud the verse is taken to refer literally to the theft of an animal which the thief intends to offer as a sacrifice. The point is that the offering is unacceptable even though everything actually belongs to God and the thief arguably is only returning to God what is His.a burnt offering.

And I will faithfully reward them,

And make an everlasting covenant with them.

9Then their offspring will be known among the nations,

And their descendants among the peoples.

All who see them [in their prosperity] will recognize and acknowledge them

That they are the people whom the Lord has blessed.

10¶I will rejoice greatly in the Lord,

My soul will exult in my God;

For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,

He has covered me with a robe of righteousness,

As a bridegroom puts on a #61:10 Or head wrap.turban,

And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

11For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,

And as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,

So the Lord God will [most certainly] cause righteousness and justice and praise

To spring up before all the nations [through the power of His word].

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